Gupta's property in Saxonwold compound sold for R3.3m at auction [PICS]

The Citizen

24-07-2025

The auction followed a six-week campaign of marketing and public viewings.
Number 3 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
One of three properties in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, linked to the Gupta family was successfully sold at auction on Thursday for R3.3 million.
The public sale was part of an effort to recover funds from the family's confiscated estate.
The homes are owned by Confident Concept, a Gupta-owned company currently under business rescue.
The auction forms part of a larger effort to liquidate assets tied to the controversial family.
Number 7 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Auction at Gupta's Saxonwold compound
According to Park Village Auctions, the auction followed a six-week campaign of marketing and public viewings.
The property sold – listed as the third house – sits on Saxonwold Drive.
It is a three-bedroom, single-storey home valued at R5.5 million, and it went under the hammer for R3.3 million.
ALSO READ: Gupta-linked Saxonwold mansions head to auction after seven-year legal battle
The sale is pending approval by the appointed business rescue practitioners (BRPs).
The other two properties on offer did not attract successful bids.
Property number five is an eight-bedroom, three-level mansion, while property number seven is a grand 17-bedroom residence, each with an en-suite bathroom.
The indoor swimming pool at number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Despite the lack of sale, movable assets inside the homes did draw bids.
Items from the mansion brought in R100 000 and the contents of house number seven were bid at R60 000.
These sales, like the real estate transaction, are also subject to confirmation.
Watch the video below:
Gupta Mansions. One 1 sold at auction, number 3 Saxonworld Drive valued at R5M selling for R3.3M#Gupta #StateCapture pic.twitter.com/B5AfIVVE5G — Ntokozo Khumalo (@NtoksKhumalo) July 24, 2025
Municipal valuations
Auctioneer Clive Lazarus weighed in on the results, saying while there was strong interest ahead of the auction, the properties' distinctive nature made it normal for such transactions to take longer to finalise.
'The municipal valuations and subsequent steep rates and taxes (up to R30 000 per month on a residential property) are obvious factors that would hinder the sale by auction,' Lazarus said.
He said auctions represent only one element of a larger sales strategy, which was essential to ensure transparency in a case that has significant public interest.
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'The BRPs will likely make the properties available by private tender, leaving a little more room for buyers to investigate all potential avenues for their investment.
'It will also provide more anonymity for buyers. We will remain in discussions with the interested parties as we progress to the next phase.
'We are confident that we will realise these properties at realistic market rates,' he added.
Number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
A bedroom at number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Guptas flee SA
The Saxonwold properties were deserted by the Gupta brothers – Atul, Rajesh and Ajay – when they fled South Africa for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2018.
Their departure came just before then-president Jacob Zuma was forced to step down by the ANC over his association with the family.
These homes gained notoriety as locations where the Guptas allegedly hosted high-level politicians as part of efforts to exert undue influence on state affairs and secure government tenders.
The trio is wanted by authorities in connection with several criminal investigations. Among the most prominent are the Nulane Investment fraud matter and the controversial Vrede Dairy Farm case.
While a 2022 attempt to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta failed, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has reaffirmed its determination to bring the brothers back to South Africa to stand trial.
NOW READ: Wanted in SA: New extradition request to get Gupta brothers back gains momentum